Clinical Trials

Clinical pain neuroscientist talks about how the brain processes pain information

Persistent pain affects one in five Australians and costs the nation an estimated $73 billion per year in health system costs, lost productivity and other financial costs.

Persistent pain also has debilitating personal costs – negatively impacting quality of life and the ability to engage in meaningful work and life activities.

Despite the enormity of this problem, very few effective treatments exist with most showing only small to moderate improvements. New treatments are desperately needed. The group believes the best way to create impactful change is to work with people with lived experience of persistent pain to devise solutions with them, not for them.

A clinical research career working Sponsor-side, CRO-side to Site-side

In July 2025, Paratus Clinical, a Australian provider of dedicated clinical trial services, announced the appointment of Megan Morrison as its new Chief Executive Officer, at the same time as a significant milestone as the company celebrating over a decade of impact in the clinical research space. Paratus now operates a network of five purpose-built, research-only clinics along Australia’s eastern seaboard.

Taiwanese health and research delegation visit Paratus clinical trial site in Canberra

In late August 2025, a Taiwanese delegation comprising government officials from the Taiwanese FDA, various governmental groups, and physicians and researchers from across Taiwan, visited Paratus Clinical’s trial site in Canberra. Their objective was to explore both the differences and similarities between the clinical research ecosystems of Taiwan and Australia.

Clinical trial site in primary care setting open for novel therapies in psychiatry

Over the past decade, Paratus has been involved in over 200 clinical trials across 4 clinical site locations. Now a fifth site, the newly opened Melbourne site will cater to both primary care and psychiatry, specifically designed for psychedelic studies.

The new Melbourne site will be a focused on primary care studies specifically expanding access to psychiatric research, a growing area of unmet need. Australian Health Journal met with 3 recent hires brought in to support clinical trials across the organisation and in psychiatry in Melbourne.

Report gives insights to clinical trial activity in Australia

Established in 2024, Bellberry is a Adelaide-based national, not-for-profit organisation that provides streamlined scientific and ethical reviews of human research. It is the 2025 winner of the Championing Health Award in the Telstra Best of Business Awards.

Australian Health Journal spoke with Bellberry Limited CEO, Kylie Sproston on the organisation and the findings in activity documented in the Clinical Trial Activity Report (CTAR) 2024.

Clinical research integrates with GP and Pharmacist workflows to supplement practice revenue

Clinical trials are crucial to the development of evidence-based preventative medicines. In addition, participation in clinical trials can also provide patients with opportunities to access new treatments.

“Clinical trials are at the heart of medical advances which look into new ways to treat, prevent, or detect disease. Volunteers often do so to help contribute to advancing scientific research, knowing that they are participating in the hope of helping future generations,” said Charlotte Bradshaw, CEO and Founder to Evrima Technologies.

Australian Teletrial Program reaches significant milestones in trials and participants

Launched in 2022, the Australian Teletrial Program is an initiative designed to improve access to clinical trials for people living in regional and remote areas of Australia. It uses telemedicine and digital technologies to enable patients to participate in clinical trials without needing to travel long distances to major metropolitan centres, which can often be a barrier to participation for those in rural and isolated locations.

Recently Australian Health Journal met with Kaye Hewson, Director, Australian Teletrials Program, who spoke about the program’s recent achievements.

New option for management of high-risk soft tissue sarcoma of the limb

SARC032 is the first completed randomised clinical trial of its kind and has demonstrated compelling evidence to integrate immunotherapy, with the standard treatment regimen of radiotherapy and surgery for patients with grade 2 or 3, stage III soft tissue sarcoma of the limb.

New clinical research entity first to operate across both Australia and New Zealand

Over the past 30 years, 18,000 clinical trials that have been registered in Australia, with the sector contributing $1.4 billion to Australia’s economy annually. Trials are a critical aspect of evidence-based medicine, and are essential for testing how new treatments, tests and vaccines will work. In New Zealand they contribute $146 million to the New Zealand economy.

To capitalise on this unique position and growth, a coordinated multi-site clinical research operation was missing, until now.

Brain cancer Professor mentors Tasmanian researchers

Rosemary Harrup trained in Victoria and Tasmania in Medical Oncology and Clinical Haematology, completing a dual Fellowship in 2001. She is the current Director of Cancer and Blood Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH), a role she has held since 2009.

Australian Health Journal spoke to Rosemary about her journey in medicine and specifically her work in Clinical Trials in Brain Cancer and the value she placed on her senior clinicians as mentors and how she now mentors others.

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